Bulls coach can't wait to get started — with Rose

Impending return of star point guard gives Thibodeau great sense of anticipation

July 13, 2013|By K.C. Johnson, Chicago Tribune reporter

LAS VEGAS — If there's one thing on which Tom Thibodeau, Derrick Rose and Gar Forman agree, it's that next season — and its championship potential — is the focus.

In a wide-ranging, 14-minute interview with beat reporters before the Bulls defeated the Grizzlies 81-67 in their summer-league opener, Thibodeau didn't shed much light on his relationship with Forman. Nor did he deeply address the surprising departure of lead assistant Ron Adams, which lifted the curtain on some strain between coaches and management.

"Hey, it's fine," Thibodeau said. "(Executive vice president John Paxson) and Gar are in charge of putting the roster together. I have a voice. They make the final decision. That's the way it works."

But sounding eerily similar to Forman's "unite and move forward" message in the wake of Adams' forced departure, a relaxed Thibodeau lauded the Bulls' depth and spoke with confidence of next season.

"I wish we were getting started tomorrow," he said.

And Rose, with whom Thibodeau speaks often?

"I know he's anxious to get started," Thibodeau said.

Well, there you go. Unite and move forward indeed. As usual, Rose, currently on a European promotional tour for his shoe company, will be the focus.

"What the summer has done is it has given him more time to build confidence and strength in his leg," Thibodeau said. "He looks great. He's feeling as well as he has in a long, long time. His entire body is a lot stronger. He has put a lot of work into his shooting."

Given that Thibodeau likely has his practice plan scheduled for, say, Feb. 8, he must know his preseason plan for Rose, who hasn't played since tearing his left ACL in April 2012.

"You can't be out the amount of time that he has been without going through an adjustment period when he comes back," Thibodeau said. "That will be normal. But from a physical and mental standpoint he's terrific. We feel good that we have Kirk (Hinrich) backing him up. That's a big plus.

"We're going to see what he can handle first. We're not anticipating big limitations on him. But the preseason, that's what that is there for. We'll see how those minutes unfold. Then we'll get started in the regular season. He'll be fine."

In an interview on the Bulls' website, Rose recently lauded his close relationship with Thibodeau. The coach said he planned to visit Rose in Los Angeles between this European tour and one in China scheduled for August. Rose is scheduled to return to Chicago for workouts in late September.

"He's totally selfless," Thibodeau said when asked about Rose's comments about him. "He gives you everything he has. He practices hard each day. He plays to win, plays for his teammates. He's as happy for his teammates when they do well as he is for himself. All he cares about is winning. We can't ask him to do anything more."

This is why Thibodeau isn't concerned that the fan backlash Rose received over sitting out the entire season will linger.

"Once he gets started, our fans will be behind him,'' he said.

Other highlights from Thibodeau:

• On the Mike Dunleavy free-agent signing: "Mike has been a starter and played very well. And he has been a bench guy and played very well. I like that he can get it done in shorter minutes. He complements Derrick and Carlos (Boozer) extremely well. He moves well without the ball. He's a playmaker and an excellent team defender. We think he's a great fit."

• On speculation he won't finish his four-year extension because of a rift with management: "People are going to read into things the way they want to. I'm fine. All I'm thinking about is getting ready for next season and being a championship-caliber team. That's it."

• On the Bulls' title chances: "The big part is going to be health. I like the makeup of our team. We have a lot of flexibility."